


The aftermath

by Inamioly



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 12:42:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inamioly/pseuds/Inamioly
Summary: When Tim collapsed, Lucy didn't hesitate. That, however, meant she became infected as well. This is their journey as they wake up at the CDC.





	The aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> This is something to help me get by until second season is here,
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Lucy Chen felt as if she had been hit by a truck. Her head throbbed and stung like it did after a tequila hangover, and her eyes were so heavy that she couldn’t command them to open. She tried to move her hands and they obliged, albeit tremblingly, and so did her feet.

Confused, she inhaled deeply and tried to focus on her other senses. She could smell alcohol and… hospitals? Was she in a hospital? A steady beeping sound all but confirmed her suspicions, and her mind filled with dread. Why was she in a hospital?

Gathering strength from God knows where, she painfully opened her eyes, immediately wincing at the bright light that invaded them. Resisting the urge to close them again, she blinked rapidly and the beam of light grew gradually smaller, until it was nothing but a distant lamp.

“Hello? Anybody there?” Lucy’s voice was nothing more than a rough whisper.

Her neck was sore, preventing her from seeing more than what was directly in front of her. Walls made from transparent glass went as far as her eyes could see, and so did cabinets filled with medical supplies.

She chanced a glance at her monitors. Her vitals were not what they normally would have been – heart rate at 110 and blood pressure 90/40 – but there still appeared to be no cause for alarm. Her sats were on the low side, only at 95% with the oxygen mask on, but at least it explained why she felt her chest heavy.

“Hi…?” Lucy wanted to roll her eyes at her seemingly stupid attempt to get an apparently empty room to respond, but her very uncomfortable headache advised against it, so she just tried to lift one of her arms. “Anyb-”

A tiny sound, coming from her left, stopped her.

“Hello?”

The low sound – something between a whimper and a groan – made itself noticeable again.

Lucy grew agitated. “I can’t… where…?”

“Boot.”

Lucy gasped. “Tim?” She instantly tried to turn her head sideways, in the direction of his voice, but winced as the resulting pain nearly made her see stars. “Tim? Is that you? How…? I c-”

“Boot.” Tim’s voice was laboured, but there. “Don’t sp-speak.”

She very nearly sighed in relief as it truly dawned on her it was him.

“That was…” His voice broke, and Lucy tried to focus her mind. “That was incredibly stupid of you, Boot.”

She felt her recently acquired smile fall from her lips, frowning at his words. Stupid? What was he…?

And then she remembered.

She remembered John and Jackson arriving with their TOs. She remembered their worried frowns, and John subtly scanning her for injuries or any sign of the virus. She remembered feeling a smile on her face, however small, as she explained to her TO’s friends how he was going to be okay and just needed to go to the CDC for observation.

Most of all, however, she remembered Tim collapsing in front of their eyes. It was all still confusing and blurred in her mind, but she distinctly recalled feeling fear and dread and running to him. The last thing that she remembered, though, was cleverly avoiding the CDC officials, turning Tim on his side after checking that he was breathing, and getting blood splatters all over her face as he started coughing up blood.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_.” Tim’s sarcastic tone echoed loud enough for her to hear.

Before she could respond, the sound of a door opening and closing caught her attention. Soon enough, a man in his early thirties dressed in scrubs appeared before her eyes, startling her.

“Hey, there, officer Chen. Glad to see you among the living.” His tone was gentle. “I’m Dr. Clark, and I’ve been treating you for the past two days.”

Two days? Two entire days? The doctor must have sensed her uneasiness, as he was quick to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“You probably don’t remember even coming in here, and that’s okay. It is to be expected. After you got your TOs blood on you, we had to rush you here and keep a close eye on you. You started running a fever, and then you had an allergic reaction to one of the meds we put you on. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for about… twenty-two hours. Never unconscious, but never really aware of what was happening.” He focused on her wary expression. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Lucy nodded tentatively, although her mind only grasped about half of what had been said. “And am I…?”

Dr. Clark smiled. “You’re on your way to recovery. We attacked the virus aggressively and your latest labs were very promising. We were only waiting for you to wake up.”

“And…?” Lucy’s eyes wandered in the direction of where Tim’s voice had come from.

“Your TO is also recuperating, albeit at a slower speed as his infection had progressed quite a bit more than yours.” The doctor turned to Tim. “How are you doing this evening, officer Bradford?”

“Real peachy, doc.”

Dr. Clark chuckled. “That’s what I like to hear.” He turned back to Lucy. “Now, officer Chen, is there anything I can help you with? Anything that hurts especially?”

Lucy half-smiled. “Only everything? My… my neck, and head, and back…” She winced as she tried  to rub her neck.

“That we can help with. I’ll get a nurse to come in here and administer some pain meds, and turn you on your side.” He eyed the beeping monitor. “Your vital signs are improving as well. Sats are already at 96%, I’m thinking by tomorrow you’ll no longer need that mask.”

“C-Cool.” She yawned and felt her eyes grow heavy.

“You need your rest, officer Chen. Sleep. Tomorrow we can talk more.”

\----------------------------------------

The first thing Lucy noticed when she woke up was that her neck was still sore, but it didn’t feel like she was being continuously stabbed – only slightly stung. After a few minutes enjoying the absence of throbbing pain, she exhaled, content, as she realized she was on her side. Her back had been killing her, and the change in position had done wonders to that particular ache.

She slowly rubbed one eye and opened it. She was still at the CDC, but her bed had been moved. It was dark, as it appeared they had dimmed the lights so both Lucy and Tim could actually sleep.

Lucy smiled when she realized she was actually facing her TO. They had moved her bed so that it was beside his, and she was currently staring at a deeply sleeping Tim Bradford. He had his oxygen mask on as well, and the beeping sound from his machine was slightly faster than hers.

Footsteps entering the room startled her. A kind-looking nurse approached her, a sheepish smile on her face. “Sorry, officer. Didn’t mean to wake you. I was just checking up on you. How are you feeling?”

Lucy smiled tiredly. “Fine, thanks.” She focused her gaze on Tim. “Uh… thanks for…”

“Don’t thank me, dear.” The nurse patted her shoulder softly, glancing, amused, at Tim’s sleeping form. “It was all him.”

“Huh?” Lucy asked, confused.

“Yes. He all but demanded that you be put in his line of sight. Something about keeping his boot in check.” The nurse chuckled. “He’s rather… something.”

Leaning back into her pillow, a content sigh escaped her lips without her permission, and she instantly blushed, hoping the nurse hadn’t caught it. If she did, the older woman made no mention to its as she silently left the room.

 

 

 

 


End file.
